Oregon State basketball recruits, high school opponents Tyler Bilodeau, Jayden Stevens excited to help Beavers ‘rebuild’
After watching the Oregon State men’s basketball program boomerang from an Elite Eight run to its worst season in program history, class of 2022 signees Jayden Stevens and Tyler Bilodeau remain excited for their futures in Corvallis.
Even after shakeups on the coaching staff.
Head coach Wayne Tinkle will remain, but associate head coach Kerry Rupp’s contract was not renewed and assistant coach Stephen Thompson was moved to a non-coaching role after the Beavers went 3-28 and finished last place in the Pac-12.
Both assistant coaches were involved in the recruitment of the 6-foot-9 Bilodeau, a standout at Kamiakin High School, and 6-7 Gonzaga Prep forward Jayden Stevens.
“I’m 100 percent excited, I’m 100 percent in,” Stevens said. “I want to buy in, rebuild to where it was and hopefully build back to the tournament.”
Bilodeau rode a pandemic growth spurt into standout junior and senior seasons. The two-time Mid-Columbia Conference MVP averaged 23.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 57 percent from the field, 39.5 from 3 and led Kamiakin to a fourth place Class 4A state finish.
Touted for his outstanding leadership, Stevens averaged 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals per game, shooting 71 percent from the field, 35 from 3.
After losing to Stevens and the Bullpups on a half court buzzer-beater in the district championship, Kamiakin eliminated Gonzaga Prep with a 23-point win in a state consolation game.
Both were selected to SBLive Washington’s all-classification all-state teams and are three-star prospects. 247 Sports lists Bilodeau as the No. 3 recruit in the state and Stevens No. 4.
They each helped Team Washington blow out Team Oregon on Sunday in the WAVOR all-star game. Bilodeau had 15 points, while Stevens had 19 on 7 of 11 shooting and went 5 of 5 from the free throw line.
And they got a taste of playing on the same team after they were invited to represent Washington in the WAVOR senior all-star game in the Portland area on Sunday and spent lots of down time off the court.
“We got to room together this weekend, so I got to know him a little bit better,” Stevens said. “He’s a cool dude and he can hoop, he can hoop.”
Tinkle signed an extension that will keep him under contract in Corvallis through 2026-27 after the team’s Elite Eight run in 2021. Five seniors are set to graduate and the team’s leading scorer in 2021-22 Jarod Lucas entered the transfer portal.
Stevens watched another member of OSU’s 2022 class Jordan Pope shine in GEICO Nationals, helping lead short-handed Prolific Prep to an upset of top-seeded Sunrise Christian Academy.
And both Bilodeau and Stevens reiterated their confidence in Tinkle, who has led the Beavers since 2014, and see an opportunity to be a part of a bounce-back season.
“It’s just going to go up,” Bilodeau said. “And I’m just going to do whatever I can to help the team.”
—Andy Buhler; @AndyBuhler.
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(Photos by Ken Waz, Vince Miller, Andy Buhler)
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